Baby Led Weaning

Baby led weaning may seem like a confusing or daunting task for parents. You may be wondering how much guidance you should be offering your baby or what sorts of foods they will want to consume.

An increasingly popular method of moving children towards solid food is a baby led weaning approach. Based on the principle that babies should discover the textures and tastes of foods for themselves, it is an unstructured, no pressure approach that involves placing soft and manageable pieces of food in front of babies. Many parents favour this approach as it means they can avoid grappling with puréed baby food and can help their children develop a taste for complex flavours from a young age.

Children are capable of feeding themselves solids from around the age of about six months, and many parents follow baby led weaning principles without even realising it. Indeed, babies are naturally imitative and will learn to pick food from plates by copying the adults around them or their older siblings.

Growlife Medical looks at the issue of baby led weaning, feeding ideas, the benefits, recipes and breastfeeding support.

There are a number of baby led weaning benefits including:

Giving your baby a chance to develop their hand and oral motor coordination
Your child will learn about the importance of independence and self-sufficiency from a young age.
If you provide your baby with food that the entire family is eating, you can cut down on preparation time.
Your child will become accustomed to an array of textures and flavours from a young age. This may make them more adventurous or sophisticated eaters in the future.
There is some evidence to suggest that babies who learn to feed themselves will be more able to control their appetite as they grow older, potentially reducing their risk of becoming obese. Studies exploring this link are not conclusive, however.

Even though many mums would like to know how to stop breastfeeding and start baby led weaning, it is important that your child continues to drink breast milk as long as possible. Either breast milk or breast milk substitutes are still essential for baby's nutrition until the age of 12 months at a minimum. We have explained the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding in another article.

Indeed, the process of weaning should be gradual and gentle. Reducing breastfeeds too drastically can actually cause your breasts to become overfull, potentially leading to a painful infection of the mammary gland known as mastitis. To ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible, as your baby eats more volumes of solid food you could gradually try:

Increasing the gaps between breastfeeds.
Breastfeeding only at the most vital times such as to help them sleep during the evening or in the early morning.
Breastfeeding until your child simply chooses to stop. This is a natural process whereby your child will elect for shorter and more infrequent feeds.

Many parents ask how much milk should their toddler drink after they have introduced solids. When you're breastfeeding, your supply will naturally adjust to your baby's changing demand. If your baby is formula fed the amount of milk your baby drinks should be gradually decreased as they become more interested in food.

If your baby is having more than 400mls of milk after 12 months you may need to limit their milk intake by substituting other nutritious foods. It is recommended that toddlers have one and a half serves of dairy per day. One serve is one cup full cream milk or 200 gm full cream yoghurt or 40gm cheese.

Toddler milks or Stage 3 formulas are not required for healthy children. It is also advised to move from a bottle to a cup.

There are plenty of baby led weaning recipe options out there for parents hoping to get on board. If you're needing more advanced support with your baby's nutrition, paediatric dietitians are available for consultations. A couple of recipes we like are:

1. Vegetable pancakes

These pancakes are nutritious and bitesize and should help your baby develop a taste for delicious vegetables. Check out the recipe here .

2. Broccoli cheese frittata fingers

These bites are packed full of nutrients and subtle flavours that almost all babies will love. What’s more, it’s easy to make and adults will also adore it. Take a look at the recipe here .

Growlife Medical specialises in providing baby lead weaning advice. You might be interested in our Introduction to Solids Group Class.

Samantha Foster offers a holistic and empowering approach to breastfeeding support. Sam can provide education, support and assistance in the comfort of your own home, or a consultation at one of our clinics.

GP Lactation Consultant Dr Sonja Morgan is available at our Highgate Hill medical centre. Her expertise includes contraception, antenatal and postnatal care of mothers, as well as care for newborns.

Book a consultation with Growlife Medical today.